Lead poisoning threatens eagles

A veterinarian who operates the Cobequid Rehabilitation Centre, a charitable organization that provides care to sick, injured and orphaned wildlife, said she sees cases of lead poisoning in eagles and other birds every year. (DARREN PITTMAN / Staff)

HILDEN — Helene Van Doninck is tired of treating eagles for lead poisoning.

Van Doninck, a veterinarian who operates the Cobequid Rehabilitation Centre, a charitable organization that provides care to sick, injured and orphaned wildlife, said she sees cases of lead poisoning in eagles and other birds every year.

In December, she treated two eagles that eventually died.

"Every eagle we’ve had has some levels of lead," she said.

"You can talk to people all across the continent (who work with wildlife) and every year they see this. . . . If I get an eagle in that’s not broken in some obvious way — wing or leg — lead is my first suspicion."

Van Doninck said the trouble is that much of the ammunition hunters use contains lead. It enters animals’ systems when they eat shell casings or parts of animals that contain lead fragments.

As a soft metal, lead breaks down quickly inside an eagle, passing into the blood system. The neurotoxin affects the bird’s brain, nervous system, digestive syste m, respiratory system and blood system.

"Usually they look quite stunned," said Van Doninck. "You could walk up to it and touch it and it might (react) but usually they have their head down, their wings drooped and they’re just stoned, basically."

It isn’t always a death sentence.

If levels aren’t too high and the bird can be treated early, there are drugs that can help them recover. Van Doninck and her volunteers have managed to treat and release two or three eagles that were poisoned.

But she said a much easier solution would be prevention.

This is why she hopes that through more awareness, hunters and anglers might consider switching to materials that don’t contain lead. She would like to meet with groups and offer presentations on the subject.

Noting the size and sway of the two communities, it’s Van Doninck’s hope that change might happen if they get involved. "If they tell manufacturers of ammunition that they don’t want to use lead anymore, then they’re going to scramble to make more non-lead (products) and they’re going to make it as affordable," she said.

Beyond the effect lead can have on wildlife, there are also considerations for humans.

Information in the Natural Resources Department’s 2011 hunting regulations notes that "lead bullet fragments in game meat are a possible health risk to anyone who may consume wild meat. It has recently been learned that modern high-velocity lead ammunition often fragments on impact with a large animal, sending very small shards of lead into the meat and organs up to (46 centimetres) from the visible bullet path."

"Lead particles are often extremely small and cannot be detected by sight, touch (when chewing the meat) or taste," read the regulations.

"Although there is no conclusive evidence linking lead fragmentation in large game animals to lead poisoning in humans, this does not mean there is no risk."

People hunting waterfowl or snipe or within National Wildlife Areas must already use non-toxic shot such as steel. Van Doninck said this change was largely made because lead was finding its way into water systems and because ducks that weren’t found after a kill would poison other animals that would find them and eat them.

She’s hoping hunters of all types will consider making a similar switch.

This is a common misconception outside the hunting and fishing community. the manufacturers of shotguns promoted the idea as many of the older guns could not fire steel,tungstenor othe "non toxic" shot without barrel damage and a considerable market for shotgun sales was created.

Most of the lead found in animals, fish, birds of prey, etc can be traced to airborne pollution. Before unleaded gas was mandatory in automobiles, lead from exhaust fumes, burning coal, some gas used in piston engine aircraft, coal fired electrical generators, etc all spewed lead into the atmosphere which enters our watercourses in the form of rain, snow or particulate. Aquatic plants and small organisms absorb the lead which in turn is passed on to minnows andthen larger fish. An eagles main diet if fish. the amount of carrion eaten in a year that was killed with lead bullets would be considerably less than the fish eaten outside of hunting season.ravens and predators east more carrion than eagles.

Persanally, the trace amounts of lead found in harvested game animals is easily removed by not easting the liver, heart, or kidneys o an animal shot in the body cavity and not process the bruised meat near the wound in an animal shoot in the neck or head.

Even if Nova Scotia got rid of all its coal burning plants, we are still downwind of the major polluters in North America, the refineries, steel plants, etc of the Us and central Canada. Even if lead was banned from anglisg sinkers, bird shot or rifle bullets, the amount of lead removed from the environment would be minimal compared to what is deposited in the ecosystems via airborn pollution.

I pretty much agree with this comment. Lead shot for Waterfowl hunting was banned a number of years ago, therefore this cannot be used as the cause. Most Rifle Ammunitions that fire single projectiles are lead , however I would find it hard to believe that Eagles are consuming lead fragments from these.
Upland Game hunting is still allowed to use lead pellets, but Eagles tend to feed near water, so this may/may not be a cause as Upland Hunting occurs inland for the most part.
I do believe however that lead fishing sinkers are a problem, many many are lost in relatively shallow waters annually from fishers getting snagged to the bottom. This not only could be concern for Eagles but Loons and other Waterfowl also feed in these same shallows along with mammals such as Mink and Otter.
But as the poster states, Lead is in environment from the many industries to the south of us, not to mention all around us. The Author of the story failed to mention whether or not actual lead pellets/fragments where removed from the birds, or did I miss this?
Regardless of the reasons, Bullets can be made of less dangerous materials, the manufactures are the ones that need to start that ball rolling, then DNR needs to legalize it as Hunting Ammunitions. We as Hunters will do what is required and ethical to protect the Wildlife and the Environment around us.

I most certainly do NOT believe that there are any misconceptions about this issue. Fact is, we need to get with the "times" and make the appropriate changes for everyone and everything. I feel quite confident that the public will push for change on this issue.

Hunter, this is not a misconception. There is a wealth of science to support this position if you are really interested in getting to the truth. The science is rock solid and abundant. Google it up for starters.
There seems to be a cultural resistance to changing from lead core ammo and fishing gear. Although very satisfactory alternatives are being manufactured in copper, steel and tungsten, many hunters/fishers are defensive and resistant to efforts to switch over to these non-toxic choices. I suppose it is difficult to imagine the importance of eagle survival when their populations seem to be on the rise, but the death throes of an eagle victim of lead poisoning are difficult to talk about, almost impossible to watch. The movement of which I am a part - Get The Lead Out - is not an anti-hunting/fishing movement. We fully support the important role hunting and fishing play in wildlife management. But the 2nd Amendment rights of some do not preclude the rights of all of us to live lead-free, toxin-free. If lead is bad for babies, if it shouldn’t be in apple juice or drinking water, then maybe it shouldn’t be available to the masses commercially. Maybe the state legislatures should take a stewardship role and ban its use altogether. See this recent study by the Wisconsin DNR in slideshow format narrated by a state environmental toxicologist. http://dnrmedia.wi.gov/main/Viewer/?peid=882a6ef1...

To start with , thanks for stating your support to both the Hunting and fishing heritages, sadly a lot of today's generation was not brought up with these values to our heritages and they are slowing being lost.
Also as I stated above, do not think that any organization would receive much resistance from Hunters by way of changing materials in Ammunition. This however must come from the manufactures themselves. They have changed some shot shell materials, this to protect Waterfowl from lead poisoning, I am rather certain that actual bullets could also be changed. Once this is completed the DNR (Natural Resources) would have to legalize it. Not a bigy I would think however.
The biggest issues are not Bullets, more so Fishing sinkers, countless Thousands if not Millions are lost annually.
At the end of the day however the Leads and other toxins floating around our air would likely outweigh all other forms of toxins combined in both Bullets and Lead Sinkers.

With the popularity of eagle cams, there is more attention focused on lead poisoning. As an "Eagleholic" the lead issue has now become emergent. Every year hundreds (if not thousands) of eagles and other assorted wildlife succumb to lead poisoning. Eagles die a slow, torturous, and painful death when they have ingested lead.

After DDT was banned eagles began to flourish once again, but at the rate these eagles are dying, we could find ourselves in the same situation as in past history and the eagles could very well end up being classified on the endangered list. Juvenile bald eagles unfortunately perish in greater numbers than adults. The adult feathers don’t show up until the bird has matured at about 4-5 years old, so the young eagle looks much like a turkey vulture in its early stages. They may not get the opportunity to be rescued as often as adults for this very reason.

In Iowa, the legislation of approving dove hunting has sparked a controversy and has renewed an effort to ban lead ammunition. Hunters who use lead ammunition spread it all over fields and forests, which kill other wildlife, including the bald eagles.

Researchers say thousands of scavengers—everything from eagles and ravens to wolves and grizzly bears—likely get lead poisoning each year from lead bullet fragments in gut piles left behind by hunters. Even now, public entities and agencies in the United States, such as Grand Teton National Park, the National Elk Refuge, and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department have begun to rally around a voluntary non-lead bullet program for hunters.

Lawmakers should ban lead shot in all public areas, regardless of what a wildlife hunter is targeting. As well, the use of lead sinkers used by anglers and other fisherpersons should be banned. There are different options already available for both hunting and fishing (Bismuth, etc). There is no question lead is dangerous. It has been banned from paint and gasoline. It should also be noted that lead left in animals or fish destined for human consumption is showing up in the population. Perhaps if hundreds of people die from ingesting lead-laden meat or fish, lawmakers will take notice.

I applaud Dr. VanDonick’s effort in bringing the lead issue to the forefront here in Nova Scotia and her willingness to educate the public on this issue. “Let’s get the lead out” and keep pressure on the lawmakers, Environment Canada, the Departments of Fisheries and Natural Resources as well as other government agencies that oversee and regulate the use of lead-based products used for hunting and fishing in Canada.

It is admirable that we have people who are concerned about our wildlife. It seems to me that we are very selective, for instance, NS is being smothered under wind turbines, which are killing thousands of birds and bats every year, not a whisper about that.
At the Wolfe Island Eco-Power Centre, Ontario, 1st 8 mos. of operation, - 1962 bird and bat deaths, on a yearly basis, about 3,000. There are roughly 20 wind farms in NS to-day, even at the kill rate of 2,000 per year, that would be 40,000. Like I said, not a whisper. How come? Where is the EAC, nowhere to be heard. I guess if it pretends to be "green" you look the other way.

Dave, of course there are many ways for eagles to die. Their lives are harsh and tenuous. Lead Poisooning is one way for them to die that can be taken off the list with some cooperation. The issue of wind turbines is very much being considered and yes, we understand the difference between the energy requirements of humans vs. the RECREATIONAL whims of humans. We are not suggesting that anyone cease hunting/fishing. We would like to preserve those precious 2nd Amendment rights. But they are not more important than the right to live in a toxin-free world. Of course we will never eliminate all of the bad stuff, but can't we give this one a real effort? It would be so easy to take the suffering and hideous death throes out of the equation. Won't you join us in a compassionate and voluntary effort to Get The Lead Out of hunting and fishing. Lots of good alternatives available to those sportspersons, so no real compromise is necessary on their part. Just a change in attitude.
I hope your 2012 is Lead Free!

What a pile of cow chips, obviously a city dewlling progressive that would starve to death if the power was out for a week.
Just another special interest, enviro anti rural article, sooo common in the pages of this paper, void of proof and any aspect of rational thought or reality.